Cross-entity channel integration services

Abstract

A cross-entity and cross-retailer platform is provided that captures transaction data (and/or browser history data associated with online browser-based transactions), indexes, and stores the data in a cloud-accessible data store. A cloud service is provided that custom processes retailer and entity-defined workflows based on purchase transactions using the data store. The service discovers and updates trends and patterns associated with item sales for a given retailer or for a given entity across channels associated with in-store and online item sales. The trends and patterns are dynamically reported to the corresponding entity or the corresponding retailer. The entities may comprise manufacturers of an item, a supplier of the item, a distributor of the item, and a Consumer Packaging Goods (CPG) company of the item.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 providing executable instructions to a processor of a cloud-based service causing the processor to perform operations, comprising:
 receiving transaction data associated with a transaction from a retailer, wherein receiving further includes receiving the transaction data from a purchase transaction workflow associated with transaction details for purchase transactions of the retailer processed on transaction terminals and browsers, wherein the transaction details from the browsers are obtained from browser history data, wherein receiving further includes tracking activity from the browsing history data including tracking total clicks by online transaction channel and length of time per website visited; 
 maintaining a data store that comprises the transaction data and other transaction data associated with other transactions of the retailer and other retailers via other transaction terminals and other browsers for other purchase transactions, and indexing, correlating, and linking the transaction data and the other transaction data by retailer identifiers, e-commerce identifiers, store identifiers, item categories or item types for each item of each transaction, entity identifiers associated with items of each transaction, item identifiers, promotion identifiers, and customer identifiers within the data store, wherein the data store is cloud accessible to retailer and the other retailers; 
 maintaining transaction metrics for the transaction data and the other transaction data of the data store, wherein maintaining further includes maintaining aggregated totals for the transaction metrics and previously aggregated totals for the transaction metrics within the data store, wherein the aggregated totals and the previously aggregated totals include at least one custom defined aggregated total for a corresponding transaction metric is customized per each retailer, wherein maintaining further includes maintaining current trends within the data store based on patterns associated with the aggregated totals and the previously aggregated totals; 
 updating or discovering a trend for an item category associated with an item of the transaction across transaction channels associated with channel identifiers for the transaction channels based on the transaction data and the other transaction data of the data store and based on the previously aggregated totals for the transaction metrics, current aggregated totals for the transaction metrics, and current trends; 
 providing a platform integrated into workflows for systems of the retailer, the other retailers, and an entity associated with the item via application programming interfaces (APIs) processed within the workflows of the systems, wherein the platform provides integrated collaboration between the retailers, the other retailers, and the entity with respect to the transaction metrics and the trend based on the transaction data and the other transaction data for the item provided by the retailer, the other retailers, and the entity; and 
 reporting the trend to the retailer, a certain one of the other retailers, or the entity through a corresponding API processed within a corresponding workflow of a corresponding system. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein updating or discovering further includes identifying the entity from the transaction data, obtaining an entity-specific workflow for the entity, and updating or discovering the trend based on processing the entity-specific workflow. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein processing the entity-specific workflow further includes comparing aggregated sales totals for the item category by each transaction channel over previous interval of time, and updating or discovering the trend when a threshold deviation in a currently calculated aggregated sales total for the item category in a current interval of time is detected for at least one transaction channel. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein updating or discovering further includes identifying the transaction channels as a plurality of in-store transaction channels and the online transaction channels. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein identifying further includes discovering the trend based on the browser history data obtained with the transaction data and based on other browser history data that is retained with a portion of the other transaction data for the other transactions that are associated with the online transaction channels. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein updating or discovering further includes discovering the trend as a promotion redemption rate per transaction channel for the item category. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein reporting further includes providing the trend within an interactive graph that supplies select data from the transaction data and the other transaction data that supports the trend. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein reporting further includes linking the trend to promotional activity associated with the retailer or the entity and provide an indication of the promotional activity with the trend. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein reporting further includes linking the trend to an item's placement of the item within a store of the retailer and provide an indication of the item's placement with the trend. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein reporting further includes reporting the trend to both the retailer and the entity. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 providing select data associated with the trend to a promotion system of the retailer or the entity using a certain API processed within a certain workflow. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 providing select data associated with the trend to an inventory system of the retailer or the entity using a certain API processed within a certain workflow. 
 
     
     
       13. A method, comprising:
 providing executable instructions to a processor of a cloud-based service causing the processor to perform operations, comprising:
 maintaining a data store as an aggregation of transaction data that spans retailers and entities, wherein the entities comprise manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and Consumer Packaging Goods (CPG) companies associated with items that are sold by the retailers to consumers of the retailers, wherein maintaining further includes receiving the transaction data from purchase transaction workflows associated with transaction details for purchase transactions processed on transaction terminals and browsers, wherein the transaction details from the browsers are obtained from browser history data, wherein maintaining further includes tracking activity from the browsing history data including tracking total clicks by online transaction channel and length of time per website visited; 
 indexing, correlating, and linking the transaction data by retailer identifiers, e-commerce identifiers, store identifiers, item categories or item types for each item of each transaction, entity identifiers associated with items of each transaction, item identifiers, promotion identifiers, and customer identifiers within the data store, wherein the data store is cloud accessible to each entity; 
 maintaining transaction metrics for the transaction data of the data store, wherein maintaining further includes maintaining aggregated totals for the transaction metrics and maintaining previously aggregated totals for the transaction metrics within the data store, wherein the aggregated totals and the previously aggregated totals include at least one custom defined aggregated total for a corresponding transaction metric is customized per each entity, wherein maintaining further includes maintaining current trends within the data store based on patterns associated with the aggregated totals and the previously aggregated totals; 
 generating or updating trends across transaction channels for item categories of items associated with the transaction data using the transaction data and the previously aggregated totals for the transaction metrics, current aggregated totals for the transaction metrics, and the current trends; 
 providing a platform integrated into workflows for systems of the retailers and the entities via application programming interfaces (APIs) processed within the workflows of the systems, wherein the platform provides integrated collaboration between the retailers and the entities with respect to the transaction metrics and the trends based on the transaction data for the items provided by the retailers and the entities; and 
 selectively reporting the trends to the retailers and the entities through corresponding APIs processed within corresponding workflows of corresponding systems. 
 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13  further comprising:
 providing interfaces to the retailers and the entities for querying the data store, defining reports from the data store, and receiving notifications from the data store on a per transaction channel basis. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 13  further comprising:
 selectively providing select data from the trends to internal systems of the retailers and the entities based on processing retailer-specific workflows for the retailers and based on processing entity-specific workflows for the entities. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 13 , wherein maintaining further includes maintaining the browser history data within the aggregation with the transaction data, wherein the browser history data associated with online transactions processed over the online transaction channels. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 13 , wherein generating or updating further includes processing the generating or the updating based on detection of current transaction data for a current transaction being added to the aggregation within the data store. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 13 , wherein generating or updating further includes processing the generating or the updating based on retailer-defined and entity-defined intervals of time against the aggregation of the data store. 
     
     
       19. A system, comprising:
 a cloud processing environment comprising at least one server; 
 the at least one server comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; 
 the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises executable instructions; and 
 the executable instructions when executed on the processor from the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
 maintaining a data store comprising transaction data for transactions and any browser history data associated with the transactions, wherein the transaction data and the browser history data span multiple retailers and entities, wherein the entities comprise manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and Consumer Packaging Goods (CPG) companies associated with items that are sold by the retailers to consumers of the retailers, wherein maintaining further includes receiving the transaction data from purchase transaction workflows associated with transaction details for purchase transactions processed on transaction terminals and browsers, wherein the transaction details from the browsers are obtained from browser history data, wherein maintaining further includes tracking activity from the browsing history data including tracking total clicks by online transaction channel and length of time per website visited; 
 indexing, correlating, and linking the transaction data by retailer identifiers, e-commerce identifiers, store identifiers, item categories or item types for each item of each transaction, entity identifiers associated with items of each transaction, item identifiers, promotion identifiers, and customer identifiers within the data store, wherein the data store is cloud accessible to each entity; 
 maintaining transaction metrics for the transaction data of the data store, wherein maintaining further includes maintaining aggregated totals for the transaction metrics and maintaining previously aggregated totals for the transaction metrics, wherein the aggregated totals and the previously aggregated totals include at least one custom defined aggregated total for a corresponding transaction metric is customized per each entity, wherein maintaining further includes maintaining current trends within the data store based on patterns associated with the aggregated totals and the previously aggregated totals; 
 deriving trends for item categories of items associated with the transactions across multiple transaction channels comprising in-store transactions and the online transactions based on processing workflows specific to the retailers and the entities and based on the previously aggregated totals for the transaction metrics, current aggregated totals for the transaction metrics, and the current trends of the data store; 
 providing a platform integrated into workflows for systems of the retailers and the entities via application programming interfaces (APIs) processed within the workflows of the systems, wherein the platform provides integrated collaboration between the retailers and the entities with respect to the transaction metrics and the trends based on the transaction data for the items provided by the retailers and the entities; and 
 selectively providing interactive graphical data representing the trends through corresponding workflows of corresponding systems using corresponding APIs to interfaces associated with the retailers and the entities. 
 
 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 19 , wherein portions of the transaction data is received in real time from the transaction terminals of the retailers for the in-store transactions and received in real time from consumer devices operated by consumers for the online transactions.